[Redneck]

When is this? Definitely watching on PRG.

Friday at 7. I would tell you to go out and attend to support these local student athletes, but that means $12(TWELVE) for a ticket, $5 for a large pop, $4 if you want a water, $4 for a hot dog! $6 if you want sauce on it, and $5 for a "personal pan" pizza that wouldn't be enough to feed a fly. So if it's you, and someone else with you you're looking at $50-60, just for the ALL A TOURNAMENT. 

Place is a joke, and this tournament desperately needs out of there and back into the high schools.

How much are the beers now?

[15thRegionFan1515]

Martin by 15-20.

[Red and Black]

I think Paintsville has a good shot at this game but they'll have to play much better than they did the first 2 games to top a very talented Martin Co team. If Paintsville is able to get Martin's best defenders (Maynard/Estep) in foul trouble early then they can dominate in their half court sets. Paintsville is a much more disciplined team and I think a better coached team than Martin. Need to pound the paint in the 1st qtr and prevent Martin from playing their run/gun game and stretching an early lead like they want to. Force Martin to be methodical getting the ball up the floor and force them to shoot contested 3's by cutting off Watts penetrating and they are beatable. I think Coach Slone will have the recipe, but whether his young team can execute it or not will be the question. I don't think Martin does anything different against Paintsville than they've done against everyone else. Step on the gas early and play their game.

Should be a much better game than the one I watched last night, at least, and hopefully they have better officials that will keep the game under control. The officials in the Pburg/Martin game were awful. I also agree that the Expo is a joke. I won't be attending another game there unless Pburg somehow makes a championship game. Get that gate money back to a school where it belongs and have it rotate between the bigger school gyms the way the 15th tournament used to do. Expo is a money racket and honestly a pretty pitiful basketball experience. No reason to keep these tournaments there.

Better officials.    Wasn’t Tyrone Fields and Bryan Cook on the game.  Those guys have called multiple state finals each, and are top of region.

If that's the case then idk who that indicts more- the 15th region or the khsaa. Those guys were flat out awful. Not even just because Pburg lost, Pburg deserved to lose, but everybody who watched that game saw the mockery they made out of the game of basketball. The Pburg/Martin game looked more like a playground basketball game than an All A tournament one. Cursing, fighting, trash talk up and down the floor, trash talk from the free throw line. I'm pretty sure those refs decided it was "no blood, no foul" at one point. No, I take that back, they made Keithley change his jersey in the 1st half because he got his nose busted on a drive to the basket and got blood on the jersey and they didn't call a foul on that play, so I'm wrong. If those guys are the best the 15th has to offer then I feel sorry for the kids.

[EKY Hoops]

I think Martin County wins this one 80-68.

[-STAT-]

Refs for tonight are Marty, Tyrone, Brian.

[billymoore8123]

Brian who

[-STAT-]

Brian who

Brian Cook, he officiated the Pburg-Martin Co game w/ Tyrone & Derrick Wright

[Red and Black]

Brian who

Brian Cook, he officiated the Pburg-Martin Co game w/ Tyrone & Derrick Wright

Not a knock on Martin Co, but they play better playground style ball than Paintsville, so they’ll win this one by as much as they want because those officials will probably lose control of this game again. Coach Landon Slone might get ejected from this one if they call it the way they did the last game.

[Blacksmith]

Brian who

Brian Cook, he officiated the Pburg-Martin Co game w/ Tyrone & Derrick Wright

Not a knock on Martin Co, but they play better playground style ball than Paintsville, so they’ll win this one by as much as they want because those officials will probably lose control of this game again. Coach Landon Slone might get ejected from this one if they call it the way they did the last game.

I will say this, Slone seems to like and coach a dedicated, play driven style of ball, more "business" no BS.... If the game dissolves into what it did the other night? He'll blow a gasket 

[-STAT-]

Brian who

Brian Cook, he officiated the Pburg-Martin Co game w/ Tyrone & Derrick Wright

Not a knock on Martin Co, but they play better playground style ball than Paintsville, so they’ll win this one by as much as they want because those officials will probably lose control of this game again. Coach Landon Slone might get ejected from this one if they call it the way they did the last game.

Martin Co relies a lot on their athleticism, forcing turnovers especially in their full court press. Have to give JJ all the credit in the world for utilizing that type of strategy with the personnel that he has. They're primary defense in half court is man, 2-3 zone setup with two guards out high. They're 2-2-1 completely takes away the middle, they force you up the sideline and will bring a trap on either side, hence the forced turnovers and transition baskets which is what they love to do. Offensively they don't run very many sets, just a lot of 1on1, driving to the basket which is what Watts is good at, and they shoot a TON of 3's a lot of them forced. One thing is for sure, Martin Co won't get as many open looks as they did the other night. 

It's all going to come down to who's disciplined the most, on both ends of the court, and emotionally as well. Coach Slone has mellowed out compared to his first few years, takes a lot to get him going now, but the refs better keep this one under control before it gets out of hand, bc you know with these two teams it's liable to get that way.

[Quincy]

I will be in attendance for this one and j think Martin should win by a good margin however paintsville is a team that if you don’t show up they will play their best game night in and night out so they will beat you. 74-72 Martin takes it.

[Spud6]

The transfer from West Virginia is the best player in the region without a doubt. The kid is eat up with athleticism and scoring ability. Would love to see him play a team that is on the same level as him and see him really turn it on. Because I've watched MC twice and it looks like he is just playing around and not even having to show his best stuff.

[-STAT-]

A few days late posting about this one, but I was in attendance for it. Few takeaways.

This was my second time seeing Martin Co play, they're definitely the favorite to represent the 15th at Rupp come March.

Watts is the real deal, unless it's an off night or a team can come up with the perfect gameplan to shut him down, there's no one in this Region that can guard him. He does a lot of his damage in the mid-range and going downhill. He talks his shit too, a little too much of it at times. The potential is there for him to be a major college player, just get stronger and show effort on the defensive end, the offensive game is there, just has to keep putting in the work.

Martin Co obviously has Watts as their guy to go get a basket when they need one, but they have other options as well. But they're just so athletic at every position, and it's a tall task for any team around here to run with them, they get out in transition better than anyone, get a lot of easy baskets in full court press. Just like stopping Watts, it'll take a hell of a gameplan to stop them, let alone beat them.

As for Paintsville, this core has been together a few years now and only just sophomores, but this was the first time they have been on a championship stage, and it showed as the game wore on. They came out with a great gameplan, kept things close and was doing everything they could to control the pace of the game, Martin Co eventually sped it up some in the 2nd, but Paintsville held strong and got some key baskets to cut it to 5 at half. But Paintsville was just rattled after that, Martin Co went on a big run and never looked back. Was getting pretty ridiculous tho toward the end of the game, Martin Co up 20 with 2 minutes to go and still pressing, I guess it was to pad stats for Watts, he finished with 41.

Despite this loss, Paintsville is still a great team that's only going to get better, coach Slone will have his team prepared better than anyone else in the region. Congrats to Martin Co, ALL A Champs. They open up the ALL A State Tournament against defending State Champion Lyon Co who lost in the Finals of the ALL A State Tournament last season as well.